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The Early Word: Big Night

By Ashley Southall January 27, 2010 7:30 amJanuary 27, 2010 7:30 am

All eyes are on President Obama, as he prepares to deliver his first-ever State of the Union address tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.

We’ll be streaming the speech live at NYTimes.com, blogging about it and assessing his message. In “Politics From A to Z,” Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny just posted their take on what to watch for during the speech.

Few details have emerged about what Mr. Obama will say when he steps to the lectern on Capitol Hill before a joint session of Congress. Among the proposals that have come to light is a package of incentives for middle class families and, The Times’s Jackie Calmes found out, a panel to address the federal deficit and a three-year domestic spending freeze.

The Wall Street Journal emphasizes that Mr. Obama will push jobs, and Reuters reported that he will extend a freeze he imposed last year on top White House officials’ salaries.

The Associated Press also reported that Mr. Obama will announce a plan to prevent a bioterror attack. On Tuesday, a federal panel gave the administration a failing grade for its efforts thus far to thwart such an attack.

Overall, The Times’s Jeff Zeleny said Mr. Obama would accept responsibility for his administration’s missteps, not accusations that he is out-of-sync with the nation, and he would try to reconnect with the public.

When the President is done speaking, Robert F. McDonnell, the new Republican governor of Virginia, will deliver the G.O.P. response.

Health Care Timeout Five months past their original August deadline to pass health care legislation, Democrats paused their plans for a major overhaul, The Times’s Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn wrote. After all the rushing and fussing and deadlines missed, Democrats now say there’s “no rush.” The earliest they might pick up on the legislation again is sometime in early February.

Specter’s Remorse? Less than a year ago, Senator Arlen Specter thought he’d found a safe place for his political future in the Democratic Party. Now, the Republican-turned-Democrat from Pennsylvania is struggling to keep his seat from going to rivals on the left and the right, The Times’s Katharine Seelye wrote. Mr. Specter is up against the Republican he narrowly defeated for reelection six years ago, Representative Patrick J. Toomey, and a Democrat, Representative Joe Sestak. An early indicator of whether Mr. Specter’s prospects for reelection in November will come when the Pennsylvania Democratic Party announces its endorsement on Feb. 6.

Fed’s Future The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on whether to move Ben Bernanke’s nomination to the chamber floor for confirmation, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed the motion last night. Mr. Bernanke’s first term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank expires Sunday, but Mr. Obama nominated him for a second term. For what it’s worth, the chairman of Europe’s central bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, weighed in at the Journal to support Mr. Bernanke’s confirmation.

Diplomacy The Times’s Helene Cooper and Mark Landler report that the Obama administration is quietly considering an idea put forth by President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan to extend an olive branch to senior members of the Taliban. The administration already supports a plan to reintegrate fringe members of the Taliban into Afghan society, a proposal that Mr. Karzai will explain at a conference Thursday in London.

The Repair Guys James O’Keefe, the conservative filmmaker who shot to political fame last year after he secretly videotaped Acorn employees giving him advice on how to set up a prostitution ring, is facing charges that he and three others infiltrated Senator Mary Landrieu’s New Orleans office by posing as telephone repairmen, The Times’s Campbell Robertson and Liz Robbins reported. Mr. O’Keefe and crew were arrested Tuesday by U.S. Marshals, then released on $10,000 bond.

Daddy Diaries If you thought the Maury-esque saga of John Edwards’s failed 2008 Presidential campaign ended last week with the former senator’s I’m-the-daddy confession, fire up your e-book. Andrew Young, Mr. Edwards’s former aide, who took the fall for Mr. Edwards early on, has a tell-all book coming out next week. The Wall Street Journal was able to find a copy of the book, “The Politician,” early and detailed a bit of Mr. Young’s account of what really happened in the Edwards camp.

President Obama drew criticism on Thursday when he said, “we don’t have a strategy yet,” for military action against ISIS in Syria. Lawmakers will weigh in on Mr. Obama’s comments on the Sunday shows.Read more…